Fish Hoek Valley
Encyclopedia
The Fish Hoek Valley is situated in the Cape Peninsula
, eighteen miles south of Cape Town
, South Africa
. It takes its name from the town of Fish Hoek on the False Bay coast.
The valley is bound by mountains (including Chapman's Peak, Spitskop, Silvermine Mountain, and Ridge Peak) on the north; Fish Hoek Bay and False Bay
on the east; mountains (including Elsie's Peak, Rooikrans, and Slangkop) on the south; and Chapman's Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. It is 13 kilometres from west to east, and between 3 and 6 kilometres from north to south. The valley has several rivers and lakes.
The predominant vegetation type in this valley is endangered Hangklip Sand Fynbos
. However, the sides of the valley are home to Cape Granite Fynbos
, and Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos
can be found higher up on the surrounding mountains. The latter two vegetation types (also both endangered) are endemic to the Cape Peninsula
and can be found nowhere else in the world.
Fish Hoek Valley was once rural, but today it is largely covered by suburbs and townships such as Kommetjie
, Ocean View
, Noordhoek
, The Lakes, Masiphumelele, Capri Village, Sunnydale
, Sun Valley, Fish Hoek, and Clovelly
. Some rural aspects have been preserved in the form of heritage areas and parts of the Table Mountain National Park
.
Many millennia ago, the valley was a channel separating two islands off the African mainland. By 20 000 years ago, the sea had receded, the channel and the isthmus separating the islands from the mainland had become dry land, and the islands had become a peninsula.
By 10 000 BCE, pre-Bushman people were living in caves in the slopes lining the valley. Several of their skeletons, weapons and other artefacts were unearthed in Peers Cave on the north-eastern side of the valley, in 1927. The skeletons were named 'Fish Hoek Man'.
By the first century AD 'Strandlopers' (Khoisan
) were living on the slopes of Slangkop. A midden containing mussel, limpet and abalone shells, and various stone implements was uncovered there in 1972.
17th century
The recorded history of the valley, and of South Africa as a whole, begins when the Dutch East India Company
established a settlement at Table Bay
, 28 kilometres north of the valley, in 1652. The Company regarded the whole of the Western Cape
region as being under its jurisdiction, but in the early years its settlement remained confined to the northern peninsula. Its first venture into the southern peninsula is thought to have been in 1659, when troops combed the area in search of KhoiSan who had attacked the Company's settlement.
In the early 1680s, the Company explored the mountains on the northern side of the valley for silver deposits. The mountain, and a river which flows down it, became known as 'Zilvermyn'. In 1687, Governor Simon van der Stel
explored the area, and reported an abundance of wild birds and wild game roaming the area. Three years later, Van der Stel granted fishing and whaling rights at Visch Hoek on the eastern end of the valley — a community of fishermen and whalers developed there, and a building was erected.
18th century
Permanent settlement of the valley began in 1743, when the Company established Simon's Bay, 3 kilometres south of Visch Hoek bay, as a winter anchorage. Governor-general Gustav van Imhoff granted three farms at the western end of the valley, probably to supply fesh produce to Simon's Bay. They were Slangkop ('Snake Peak'), De Goede Hoop ('Good Hope'), and Poespaskraal ('Hotch-potch kraal'). Half a century later, in 1797, when the colony was under British military occupation, a fourth farm was established, at Visch Hoek, but it was only on loan and the lease ended when the lessee died in 1808.
19th century
When the Cape became a permanent British colony in 1814, the Royal Navy established a permanent base at Simon's Town, and governor Sir John Cradock
established the southern part of the Peninsula as the Simon's Town magisterial district. The road through Visch Hoek to Simon's Town was rebuilt in 1815.
Soon afterwards, two more farms were established, at the eastern end of the valley. In 1815, Governor Lord Charles Somerset
granted a 112-hectare farm on the slopes of the Zilvermyn mountain - appropriately, the farm was named Zilvermyn. In 1818, Somerset granted the 1528-hectare Visch Hoek property as a farm, on condition that the owner was not allowed to sell liquor. When Visch Hoek was subdivided in 1827, the 454-hectare portion north of the Zilvermyn river became a separate farm named Klein Tuin ('small garden').
Later, a farm named Brakkloof (or Brakke Kloof) was granted between Visch Hoek and Poespaskraal.
Farm names were changed from time to time. Slangkop also became known as 'Imhoff's Gift', De Goede Hoop as 'Noordhoek', and Poespaskraal as 'Sunnydale'.
In 1855, a divisional council (comparable to a county council
in England) was established to administer the Cape Division, i.e. the rural areas surrounding Cape Town. It administered the valley for the following 131 years, except during the years 1879 to 1888, when the Simon's Town magisterial district was a division with its own divisional council.
Another farm was created in the late 1850s, when Slangkop / Imhoff's Gift was subdivided and the south-eastern portion became Ocean View.
By the end of the 19th century, the south peninsula was well established. The railway line was extended from the seaside town of Kalk Bay
through Visch Hoek to Simon's Town
in 1890. When Kalk Bay was proclaimed a municipality in 1895, the farm Klein Tuin was included within its boundaries.
20th century
Like the rest of the colony, the Simon's Town district was under martial law during 1901 and 1902, because of the Boer invasion of the colony.
The first townships were established in the valley towards the end of the war. Kommetje Estates Ltd bought Slangkop farm in 1900 and established a seaside village named Kommetje. At the other end of the valley, G.W. MacIntyre bought Klein Tuin in 1902, renamed it 'Mayville', and established a small seaside suburb (which was later renamed 'Clovelly
').
Parliament approved the construction of a branch railway line from Visch Hoek to Kommetje, but it was never built. Eventually, ten years later, in 1913, the divisional council built Kommetje Road (now route M65), leading from Visch Hoek across the southern side of the valley, to Kommetje.
The Kalk Bay municipality, including Mayville (Clovelly), was incorporated into the City of Cape Town in 1913, but the rest of the valley remained under the divisional council.
During World War I, the Simon's Town district was under martial law to protect the naval base, and travel through the valley was hampered by military roadblocks. The German navy cruiser Möwe was seen in Chapman's Bay, off Slangkop, in 1916.
Two more townships were developed after the war. Visch Hoek (or 'Fish Hoek') farm was subdivided into a township in 1918, and grew rapidly. A local board was established in 1921, and a village management board in 1927. The prohibition against the sale of liquor imposed a century earlier still held good, and the town became well known for being the only 'dry' town in the country.
Part of Noordhoek was subdivided for residential development in 1920. Access to the western end of the valley was improved when the divisional council opened Chapman's Peak Drive (now part of route M6) in 1922, as part of a scenic motor route around the Peninsula.
Cape Estates Ltd bought the undeveloped part of Mayville in 1922, and established the Clovelly Country Club.
Fish Hoek was proclaimed a municipality in 1940.
German submarines were active in Cape waters during World War II. A military radar station was established on Slangkop, to monitor the ocean, and a small military camp named 'Cobra' was opened to house the personnel. Two German anti-ship mines washed up at Kommetjie — the navy dismantled one and detonated the other.
After the war, most of Sunnydale farm was subdivided into a residential township.
The divisional council undertook considerable development in the valley during the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1960s, it developed a White residential township, named Sun Valley
, on Brakkloof farm., and a Coloured township on Ocean View
farm, to accommodate the communities which the government had forced to move out of Fish Hoek, Sunnydale, and Simon's Town under its apartheid system. In 1968, the council opened the 'Ou Kaapse Weg' ('Old Cape Road') (now route M64), leading from Sunnydale over the Silvermine mountain to Tokai
.
In the 1970s, the council opened Soetwater caravan park (for Coloured holidaymakers), and Imhoff caravan park (for Whites) near Kommetjie. Wildevoëlvlei sewage works were opened in 1977
Part of Sunnydale was developed into a residential township named Capri Village.
The divisional council was absorbed into the Western Cape Regional Services Council in 1986.
In 1986, the Black residents of Dassenberg were forcibly evicted under the apartheid laws and re-settled at Khayalitsha. They were allowed to return to the valley in 1989, and a new settlement was established for them on part of Sunnydale — it was later named Masiphumelele ('we will succeed'). Apartheid ended in 1994.
In 1996, the valley was incorporated into the new South Peninsula Municipality, and Fish Hoek's municipality was dissolved. Four years later, the South Peninsula Municipality was incorporated into the City of Cape Town, which now administers the valley.
1795 : British military forces invaded the colony. They marched from Simon's Town along the road past Visch Hoek beach, and overran a Dutch East India Company artillery emplacement at the northern corner of the valley — the abandoned guns are now displayed at the Clovelly Country Club.
1821 : The brig Waterloo was wrecked off Visch Hoek beach.
1860] : The valley welcomed its (and the colony's) first royal visitor, when Prince Alfred
travelled through the valley en route from Simon's Town to Cape Town.
1885 : A huge octopus
with a 3-metre-long body and 8-metre-long tentacles, washed up on Noordhoek beach.
1900 : The steamship SS Kakapo was wrecked off Noordhoek beach. Some of the metal plates were later used as a barricade to protect the railway line, others were removed during World War II to be recycled into armaments.
1908 : The valley's first school was opened, at Kommetjie.
1910 : A wireless station was established on the seaward slopes of Slangkop — it was later moved to Kommetje, because of interference from manganese deposits in the mountain.
1914 : A lighthouse was built on the mountain, but because of the outbreak of World War I, it was not put into commission until 1919.
1927 : Victor and Bertie Peers unearthed the remains of 'Fish Hoek Man' in a cave above Fish Hoek. The cave was proclaimed a national monument in 1941.
1928 : More than 100 False Killer whales beached themselves at Kommetjie — few could be saved.
1930 : Motor racing began on the Noordhoek salt pan — it continued until 1939.
1934 : A whale shark
washed up on Kommetjie beach.
1936 : A devastating mountain fire on the Brakkloof mountain threatened Fish Hoek.
1963 : The provincial administration opened the valley's first hospital - the False Bay Hospital in Fish Hoek.
1969 : Part of the film Ryan's Daughter
was filmed around the remains of the Kakapo on Noordhoek beach.
1970 : The first annual Two Oceans Marathon was run — the route passes through the valley.
1972 : A 2000-year-old midden containing mussel, limpet and abalone shells, and various stone implements was uncovered at Kommetjie in 1972.
2000 : Devastating mountain fires ravaged the southern Peninsula for several days in — parts of Noordhoek and Kommetjie were evacuated until the fire services and air force had extinguished the blazes.
2008 : Xenophobic riots displaced many Ocean View and Masiphumelele residents — they had to be housed in camps at Soetwater.
2009 : 55 False Killer whales beached themselves at Kommetjie — only a few could be saved and returned to the sea.
2010: A rhinodon typicus shark - one of the rarest in the world - washed up on Cape Point Reserve.
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope...
, eighteen miles south of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It takes its name from the town of Fish Hoek on the False Bay coast.
The valley is bound by mountains (including Chapman's Peak, Spitskop, Silvermine Mountain, and Ridge Peak) on the north; Fish Hoek Bay and False Bay
False Bay
False Bay is a body of water defined by Cape Hangklip and the Cape Peninsula in the extreme South-West of South Africa.- Description and location :...
on the east; mountains (including Elsie's Peak, Rooikrans, and Slangkop) on the south; and Chapman's Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. It is 13 kilometres from west to east, and between 3 and 6 kilometres from north to south. The valley has several rivers and lakes.
The predominant vegetation type in this valley is endangered Hangklip Sand Fynbos
Hangklip Sand Fynbos
Hangklip Sand Fynbos is an endangered vegetation type that occurs in the southern coastal portion of the Western Cape, South Africa.This particular Fynbos ecosystem naturally occurs along the southern coast of the Western Cape, South Africa, between Agulhas and Pringle Bay...
. However, the sides of the valley are home to Cape Granite Fynbos
Peninsula Granite Fynbos
Peninsula Granite Fynbos is an endangered Fynbos vegetation type which is endemic to the city of Cape Town and occurs nowhere else. It is a unique type of tall, dense and diverse scrubland, scattered with trees...
, and Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos
Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos
Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos is a unique and endangered vegetation type that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula in Cape Town. This type of Mountain Fynbos occurs on very poor, acidic soils but is incredibly rich in biodiversity with an enormous number of plant species – many of which occur nowhere else...
can be found higher up on the surrounding mountains. The latter two vegetation types (also both endangered) are endemic to the Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope...
and can be found nowhere else in the world.
Fish Hoek Valley was once rural, but today it is largely covered by suburbs and townships such as Kommetjie
Kommetjie
Kommetjie is a suburb of Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa...
, Ocean View
Ocean View
Ocean View may refer to:In Australia:*Ocean View, QueenslandIn New Zealand*Ocean View, New ZealandIn South Africa*Ocean View, Cape Town, a suburban community in Cape Town, also known as Slangkop, made up of so-called coloured people that were forcibly removed from Simon's Town, Noordhoek, Glencairn...
, Noordhoek
Noordhoek
Noordhoek may refer to:* Noordhoek, Cape Town, South Africa* Noordhoek, Bloemfontein, South Africa* Noordhoek , the Netherlands* Noordhoek , the Netherlands...
, The Lakes, Masiphumelele, Capri Village, Sunnydale
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
, Sun Valley, Fish Hoek, and Clovelly
Clovelly
Clovelly is a village in the Torridge district of Devon, England. It is a major tourist attraction, famous for its history and beauty, its extremely steep car-free cobbled main street, donkeys, and its location looking out over the Bristol Channel. Thick woods shelter it and render the climate so...
. Some rural aspects have been preserved in the form of heritage areas and parts of the Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on May 29, 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation...
.
History
Pre-historicMany millennia ago, the valley was a channel separating two islands off the African mainland. By 20 000 years ago, the sea had receded, the channel and the isthmus separating the islands from the mainland had become dry land, and the islands had become a peninsula.
By 10 000 BCE, pre-Bushman people were living in caves in the slopes lining the valley. Several of their skeletons, weapons and other artefacts were unearthed in Peers Cave on the north-eastern side of the valley, in 1927. The skeletons were named 'Fish Hoek Man'.
By the first century AD 'Strandlopers' (Khoisan
Khoisan
Khoisan is a unifying name for two ethnic groups of Southern Africa, who share physical and putative linguistic characteristics distinct from the Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the foraging San and the pastoral Khoi...
) were living on the slopes of Slangkop. A midden containing mussel, limpet and abalone shells, and various stone implements was uncovered there in 1972.
17th century
The recorded history of the valley, and of South Africa as a whole, begins when the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
established a settlement at Table Bay
Table Bay
Table Bay is a natural bay on the Atlantic Ocean overlooked by Cape Town and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope. It was named because it is dominated by the flat-topped Table Mountain.Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to explore this...
, 28 kilometres north of the valley, in 1652. The Company regarded the whole of the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
region as being under its jurisdiction, but in the early years its settlement remained confined to the northern peninsula. Its first venture into the southern peninsula is thought to have been in 1659, when troops combed the area in search of KhoiSan who had attacked the Company's settlement.
In the early 1680s, the Company explored the mountains on the northern side of the valley for silver deposits. The mountain, and a river which flows down it, became known as 'Zilvermyn'. In 1687, Governor Simon van der Stel
Simon van der Stel
Simon van der Stel was the last Commander and first Governor of the Cape Colony, the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.-Background:...
explored the area, and reported an abundance of wild birds and wild game roaming the area. Three years later, Van der Stel granted fishing and whaling rights at Visch Hoek on the eastern end of the valley — a community of fishermen and whalers developed there, and a building was erected.
18th century
Permanent settlement of the valley began in 1743, when the Company established Simon's Bay, 3 kilometres south of Visch Hoek bay, as a winter anchorage. Governor-general Gustav van Imhoff granted three farms at the western end of the valley, probably to supply fesh produce to Simon's Bay. They were Slangkop ('Snake Peak'), De Goede Hoop ('Good Hope'), and Poespaskraal ('Hotch-potch kraal'). Half a century later, in 1797, when the colony was under British military occupation, a fourth farm was established, at Visch Hoek, but it was only on loan and the lease ended when the lessee died in 1808.
19th century
When the Cape became a permanent British colony in 1814, the Royal Navy established a permanent base at Simon's Town, and governor Sir John Cradock
John Cradock, 1st Baron Howden
General John Francis Cradock, 1st Baron Howden GCB was a British peer, politician and soldier.-Life:He was son of John Cradock, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin....
established the southern part of the Peninsula as the Simon's Town magisterial district. The road through Visch Hoek to Simon's Town was rebuilt in 1815.
Soon afterwards, two more farms were established, at the eastern end of the valley. In 1815, Governor Lord Charles Somerset
Lord Charles Somerset
General Lord Charles Henry Somerset PC was a British soldier, politician and colonial administrator. He was governor of the Cape Colony, South Africa, from 1814 to 1826.-Background:...
granted a 112-hectare farm on the slopes of the Zilvermyn mountain - appropriately, the farm was named Zilvermyn. In 1818, Somerset granted the 1528-hectare Visch Hoek property as a farm, on condition that the owner was not allowed to sell liquor. When Visch Hoek was subdivided in 1827, the 454-hectare portion north of the Zilvermyn river became a separate farm named Klein Tuin ('small garden').
Later, a farm named Brakkloof (or Brakke Kloof) was granted between Visch Hoek and Poespaskraal.
Farm names were changed from time to time. Slangkop also became known as 'Imhoff's Gift', De Goede Hoop as 'Noordhoek', and Poespaskraal as 'Sunnydale'.
In 1855, a divisional council (comparable to a county council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
in England) was established to administer the Cape Division, i.e. the rural areas surrounding Cape Town. It administered the valley for the following 131 years, except during the years 1879 to 1888, when the Simon's Town magisterial district was a division with its own divisional council.
Another farm was created in the late 1850s, when Slangkop / Imhoff's Gift was subdivided and the south-eastern portion became Ocean View.
By the end of the 19th century, the south peninsula was well established. The railway line was extended from the seaside town of Kalk Bay
Kalk Bay
Kalk Bay is a fishing village on the coast of False Bay, South Africa and is now a suburb of greater Cape Town. It lies in a beautiful setting, wedged between the ocean and sharply rising mountainous heights that are buttressed by crags of grey sandstone...
through Visch Hoek to Simon's Town
Simon's Town
Simon's Town , sometimes spelled Simonstown; is a town in South Africa, near Cape Town which is home to the South African Navy. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. For more than two centuries it has been an important naval base and harbour...
in 1890. When Kalk Bay was proclaimed a municipality in 1895, the farm Klein Tuin was included within its boundaries.
20th century
Like the rest of the colony, the Simon's Town district was under martial law during 1901 and 1902, because of the Boer invasion of the colony.
The first townships were established in the valley towards the end of the war. Kommetje Estates Ltd bought Slangkop farm in 1900 and established a seaside village named Kommetje. At the other end of the valley, G.W. MacIntyre bought Klein Tuin in 1902, renamed it 'Mayville', and established a small seaside suburb (which was later renamed 'Clovelly
Clovelly
Clovelly is a village in the Torridge district of Devon, England. It is a major tourist attraction, famous for its history and beauty, its extremely steep car-free cobbled main street, donkeys, and its location looking out over the Bristol Channel. Thick woods shelter it and render the climate so...
').
Parliament approved the construction of a branch railway line from Visch Hoek to Kommetje, but it was never built. Eventually, ten years later, in 1913, the divisional council built Kommetje Road (now route M65), leading from Visch Hoek across the southern side of the valley, to Kommetje.
The Kalk Bay municipality, including Mayville (Clovelly), was incorporated into the City of Cape Town in 1913, but the rest of the valley remained under the divisional council.
During World War I, the Simon's Town district was under martial law to protect the naval base, and travel through the valley was hampered by military roadblocks. The German navy cruiser Möwe was seen in Chapman's Bay, off Slangkop, in 1916.
Two more townships were developed after the war. Visch Hoek (or 'Fish Hoek') farm was subdivided into a township in 1918, and grew rapidly. A local board was established in 1921, and a village management board in 1927. The prohibition against the sale of liquor imposed a century earlier still held good, and the town became well known for being the only 'dry' town in the country.
Part of Noordhoek was subdivided for residential development in 1920. Access to the western end of the valley was improved when the divisional council opened Chapman's Peak Drive (now part of route M6) in 1922, as part of a scenic motor route around the Peninsula.
Cape Estates Ltd bought the undeveloped part of Mayville in 1922, and established the Clovelly Country Club.
Fish Hoek was proclaimed a municipality in 1940.
German submarines were active in Cape waters during World War II. A military radar station was established on Slangkop, to monitor the ocean, and a small military camp named 'Cobra' was opened to house the personnel. Two German anti-ship mines washed up at Kommetjie — the navy dismantled one and detonated the other.
After the war, most of Sunnydale farm was subdivided into a residential township.
The divisional council undertook considerable development in the valley during the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1960s, it developed a White residential township, named Sun Valley
Sun Valley
Sun Valley is the name of several places in the United States of America:*Sun Valley, Idaho, a ski area and resort community in central Idaho*Sun Valley, Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley*Sun Valley, Nevada, a suburb north of Reno...
, on Brakkloof farm., and a Coloured township on Ocean View
Ocean View
Ocean View may refer to:In Australia:*Ocean View, QueenslandIn New Zealand*Ocean View, New ZealandIn South Africa*Ocean View, Cape Town, a suburban community in Cape Town, also known as Slangkop, made up of so-called coloured people that were forcibly removed from Simon's Town, Noordhoek, Glencairn...
farm, to accommodate the communities which the government had forced to move out of Fish Hoek, Sunnydale, and Simon's Town under its apartheid system. In 1968, the council opened the 'Ou Kaapse Weg' ('Old Cape Road') (now route M64), leading from Sunnydale over the Silvermine mountain to Tokai
Tokai
Tōkai in Japanese may refer to:* Tōkai region, a subregion of Chūbu* Tōkai, Ibaraki, a village, also nown as "Tokaimura" * Tōkai, Aichi, a city* Tōkai University, a private university in Tokyo...
.
In the 1970s, the council opened Soetwater caravan park (for Coloured holidaymakers), and Imhoff caravan park (for Whites) near Kommetjie. Wildevoëlvlei sewage works were opened in 1977
Part of Sunnydale was developed into a residential township named Capri Village.
The divisional council was absorbed into the Western Cape Regional Services Council in 1986.
In 1986, the Black residents of Dassenberg were forcibly evicted under the apartheid laws and re-settled at Khayalitsha. They were allowed to return to the valley in 1989, and a new settlement was established for them on part of Sunnydale — it was later named Masiphumelele ('we will succeed'). Apartheid ended in 1994.
In 1996, the valley was incorporated into the new South Peninsula Municipality, and Fish Hoek's municipality was dissolved. Four years later, the South Peninsula Municipality was incorporated into the City of Cape Town, which now administers the valley.
Some notable events
1725 : A pirate ship anchored in Visch Hoek bay — Dutch East India Company troops were sent to the valley to prevent the pirates scouring the countryside for food and drink.1795 : British military forces invaded the colony. They marched from Simon's Town along the road past Visch Hoek beach, and overran a Dutch East India Company artillery emplacement at the northern corner of the valley — the abandoned guns are now displayed at the Clovelly Country Club.
1821 : The brig Waterloo was wrecked off Visch Hoek beach.
1860] : The valley welcomed its (and the colony's) first royal visitor, when Prince Alfred
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
travelled through the valley en route from Simon's Town to Cape Town.
1885 : A huge octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
with a 3-metre-long body and 8-metre-long tentacles, washed up on Noordhoek beach.
1900 : The steamship SS Kakapo was wrecked off Noordhoek beach. Some of the metal plates were later used as a barricade to protect the railway line, others were removed during World War II to be recycled into armaments.
1908 : The valley's first school was opened, at Kommetjie.
1910 : A wireless station was established on the seaward slopes of Slangkop — it was later moved to Kommetje, because of interference from manganese deposits in the mountain.
1914 : A lighthouse was built on the mountain, but because of the outbreak of World War I, it was not put into commission until 1919.
1927 : Victor and Bertie Peers unearthed the remains of 'Fish Hoek Man' in a cave above Fish Hoek. The cave was proclaimed a national monument in 1941.
1928 : More than 100 False Killer whales beached themselves at Kommetjie — few could be saved.
1930 : Motor racing began on the Noordhoek salt pan — it continued until 1939.
1934 : A whale shark
Whale shark
The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is a slow-moving filter feeding shark, the largest extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of and a weight of more than , but unconfirmed claims report considerably larger whale sharks...
washed up on Kommetjie beach.
1936 : A devastating mountain fire on the Brakkloof mountain threatened Fish Hoek.
1963 : The provincial administration opened the valley's first hospital - the False Bay Hospital in Fish Hoek.
1969 : Part of the film Ryan's Daughter
Ryan's Daughter
Ryan's Daughter is a 1970 film directed by David Lean. The film, set in 1916, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair with a British officer during World War I, despite opposition from her nationalist neighbours...
was filmed around the remains of the Kakapo on Noordhoek beach.
1970 : The first annual Two Oceans Marathon was run — the route passes through the valley.
1972 : A 2000-year-old midden containing mussel, limpet and abalone shells, and various stone implements was uncovered at Kommetjie in 1972.
2000 : Devastating mountain fires ravaged the southern Peninsula for several days in — parts of Noordhoek and Kommetjie were evacuated until the fire services and air force had extinguished the blazes.
2008 : Xenophobic riots displaced many Ocean View and Masiphumelele residents — they had to be housed in camps at Soetwater.
2009 : 55 False Killer whales beached themselves at Kommetjie — only a few could be saved and returned to the sea.
2010: A rhinodon typicus shark - one of the rarest in the world - washed up on Cape Point Reserve.